The Mom in 'Big' 'Memba Her?!

New York City-native Mercedes Ruehl gained fame in the '80s when she landed the role of the distraught mother, Mrs. Baskin -- who wields a knife and chases her big son out of the house and later threatens him on the phone -- in the classic 1988 over-grown comedy, "BIG."

Mercedes Ruehl shared the screen with stars like Robert Loggia as the toy giant, Mr. MacMillan, John Heard as the paddle ball-cheating Paul Davenport, Elizabeth Perkins as the ravishing Susan Lawrence ... and of course, Tom Hanks as the larger-than-life Josh Baskin.

That same year Mercedes solidified herself as a star after she was in the film, "Married To The Mod," as the gangster wife, Connie Russo.